Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall was a French painter of Russian-Jewish origin who is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Formative were his family environment, his hometown of Vitebsk, Bible motifs, but also images from the circus, which can be described as the main themes of his works. His style is assigned to Expressionism. His artistic works show an immense love of storytelling in narrative and colorful images that create a very unique, timelessly poetic world. Dream images are thus interwoven with legends of the Jewish faith, mysticism, but also from the rich repertoire of Russian folk art. Some metaphors and motifs recur again and again in his pictures (e.g. roosters, lovers or the figures of the Jewish shtetl). In addition to his paintings, there are extensive etching cycles and lithographic works in his oeuvre.

Born 1887 in Vitebsk (Russian Empire) as Moische Chazkelevitsch Shagalow
1907-1910 attended the private Swansewa art school.
1914 First solo exhibition in the Berlin gallery “Der Sturm”
1918 Commissar of Fine Arts in Vitebsk. Founded an art academy there, where El Lissitzky and Kasimir Malevich also taught.
1922 Leaves Russia permanently. He lives briefly in Berlin and from 1923 in Paris.
1950-1970 Numerous commissions for public buildings in France
gest 1985 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (France)